


In the Darkroom

by TuppingLiberty



Series: TLIb AU August 2018 [4]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Dark Room, Derek is a senior and Stiles is a freshman, M/M, Photography, Wolves are not known
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2019-06-20 02:32:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15524133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TuppingLiberty/pseuds/TuppingLiberty
Summary: AU August Day 4: As the night lab tech, Derek has to help a hapless freshman photography student out in the lab.AU Yeah August first came from this blog: https://lnc2.tumblr.com/post/174925809860/au-yeah-august. I decided to make my own calendar of prompts using this wonderful blog post: http://perfectlyrose.tumblr.com/post/101118660910/au-prompts-masterlist-of-lists. I randomized the lists, then pulled a prompt from each list for 31 days.Today’s prompt is from the list: http://tofixtheshadows.tumblr.com/post/114966916226 .  The prompt is: “I let you have a few sheets of darkroom photo paper, to pay me back you offered to model privately for my Studio Photography assignment” AU





	In the Darkroom

“Shit!”

Derek’s head snaps up at the frustrated sound, frowning. He’d been entirely focused on his contact sheet with his loupe, trying to figure out which shots he wanted to print. At the exclamation, though, his hand slips and his loses his spot, growling a little at the sheet.

There’s a guy who by the looks of things has decided to empty his entire backpack out on the floor of the photography lab. He’s running his hand through his hair, mussing it up into messy spikes, repeating “Shit, shit, shit, shit,” over and over to himself.

As the senior in charge of lab hours for the night, Derek sighs internally. He likes taking the late late shift because there’s normally nobody in here. However, there’s also a way bigger chance of having to deal with one of the freshman procrastinator freak outs.

“Can I help you with something?” Derek asks, in, okay, maybe not his best ‘customer service’ voice.

The guy jumps, then looks up. “Oh, uh. Hey, you wouldn’t happen to have any sheets of photo paper I could, um, like, I don’t know, maybe pay you for? My project is-”

“Due tomorrow, I’m guessing.”

“Uh. Yeah. Um.” Instead of looking ashamed, the guy pops to his feet, leaving the mess on the floor to stick his hand out. “Stiles Stilinski.”

“Derek Hale, senior tech.” Derek clasps Stiles’ hand in his, giving a firm, professional handshake that belies none of the instant _Oh hey you’re cute_ attraction floating through his mind. “I still have some set up in the darkroom. Do you need help with the process? I don’t exactly want all of my paper getting light exposed.”

It maybe comes out a little harsher than Derek intended, which would be another reason his advisor tends to put him on the late late shift. He’s not exactly a people person.

“Dude, I am going to not take offense to that because I know how expensive that shit is, and I left mine at home, and I live off campus so that’s like, another 45 minute walk and then 45 minutes back and then there’d only be like ten minutes left before the lab closes and I don’t want to have to purchase all the chemicals by myself and I can pay you even though it sucks that I had some already, and it’s expensive, but maybe I could-”

“Stiles.”

Stiles slows his roll, and offers Derek a grin. “I could, like, model for you or something?”

 _That_ sends all sorts of images flying through Derek’s head. He shakes it, and holds out a hand to help Stiles up. “Let’s just concentrate on the dark room first. Nicolette is your prof, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, so I know you’ve been through the protocol, but-” Derek turns, opening the dark room door and gesturing inside with a nod of his head as he continues explaining.

Stiles looks up at him intently, nodding every once and awhile, and interjecting with questions that make it obvious he probably actually knows way more than Derek is giving him credit for. He catches on quickly, preparing solutions and working with his negatives. Derek sort of hovers over his shoulder, watching, definitely not surreptitiously smelling the freshman in front of him.

Derek is the only ‘wolf in the photography department; normally they shy away from chemical smells like these. Derek has always been able to override the smell with his love of the magic of watching a photo come up on the paper.

Now, though, Stiles’ smell mixed with the chemicals, underlying it, making the small darkroom smell like a sagebrush field after a summer rain.

Derek even feels stupidly proud when Stiles beams at his first print, even though it’s a little out of focus. “Looks good. Here, let me show you how to fix that.”

So maybe he crowds in a little closer than necessary to show Stiles how to get a truly crisp focus out of his negative. If anything, Stiles’ smell warms and sweetens.

“So weird how your eyes glow red in the light,” Stiles murmurs, and Derek practically chokes.

“Yup. Yeah. Yes. Weird,” Derek sputters.

“You okay?” Stiles offers him a smile and holds out his water bottle.

Derek narrows his eyes at the teasing. “You know about werewolves.”

“Guilty.” Now Stiles’ grin is radiant, like he’s in on the biggest joke in the world. “But I’m great at keeping secrets.”

“Mhmm.” Derek purses his lips.

Stiles holds up three fingers in a salute. “Scouts honor, or, well, whatever. I wasn’t actually a scout. Anyway, my best friend is a ‘wolf, so I really don’t care. I’m not going to like, sick hunters on you or something.”

“Thanks.” He realizes his hands have been squeezed into fists in anxiety at his sides, and he deliberately loosens them, stretching out the fingers. “Um. Do you need my help still?”

“One more time through for old time’s sake?” Stiles grins again.

There’s something about Stiles’ grin that makes Derek want to smile back. He represses it, but moves to Stiles’ side to show him again.

And a few more times, until Stiles’ assignment is done, for good measure.

“Oh, wow, I think the lab was supposed to close an hour ago.” Stiles nods up at the clock as they emerge from the dark room, blinking owlishly.

“Shit. Okay. You have all your stuff, right?” Two hours and change in Stiles’ company has simultaneously been amazing and also frustrating. Amazing because Stiles is kind of amazing, frustrating because his ‘wolf nose seems to already be addicted to Stiles’ smell.

“Yeah. Am I going to get you in trouble?” Stiles kind of sounds like he doesn’t care so much about getting Derek in trouble.

“Nah, it’ll be okay. I need to find the night janitor though, so, uh, good luck with the assignment turn in tomorrow.”

Stiles holds out a hand, apparently for a fist bump, and Derek smirks, accepting it before turning to run through his lab closure checklist.

It’s when Derek has completed his inventory, checked fluid levels, and closed up the lab with the security code, and has made it a few blocks away in his beat up, twenty year old junk machine, that he sees Stiles again.

Walking, apparently, at nearly midnight.

Something about that disturbs Derek to his core, so he pulls up, mildly satisfied when Stiles nearly jumps out of his skin.

“Dude!”

“You didn’t get a ride home?”

“Uh, no, everyone’s busy.”

“It’s not safe.”

Stiles saunters over to the open window and leans down. “You’re right. Some weird guy could proposition me on the street.”

Derek growls, mildly. “Get in.”

“This goes against everything Sesame Street taught me, but fine.” He tosses his backpack in the back seat and slides into the front with a grin. “Keep going straight for the next few lights.”

Derek figures if he had picked up anyone but Stiles, the car would now be filled with an awkward silence. Stiles isn’t going to let it stand, though. He chatters all the way through the directions, finally slowing when they pull up in front of a dark house. “Hey, what are you doing Friday night?”

Shocked, Derek grips the wheel. “Uh- Um-” he stammers. “Nothing, I’m free.”

When he dares to take a glance at Stiles, the freshman is, of course, grinning.

“Awesome. We can do the photo shoot then, yeah?”

“Oh, right. Um. Yeah.” Some deep part of Derek is extremely disappointed.

Stiles grabs his bag, then leans back down into the window, smiling at Derek. “‘Course, I can’t model on an empty stomach. Pick me up at 6 for dinner first?”

Derek agrees before he can really even think about it, and Stiles is walking toward the house before he can retract his agreement.

There’s a sweetness in his car, Stiles’ scent mingling with his. With a small, satisfied sound, Derek grips the wheel and drives away, a small smile gracing his lips.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you like this, please check out my other stuff! :) Comments and Kudos are always appreciated.
> 
> Also feel free to join me in AU august. You are welcome to any of the prompts I use - would love if you leave a comment letting me know you wrote it so I can check it out!
> 
> Happy August!


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